名著精讀《飄》第一章 第8節

It was a savagely red land, blood-colored after rains, brick dust in droughts, the best cotton land in the world. It was a pleasant land of white houses, peaceful plowed fields and sluggish yellow rivers, but a land of contrasts, of brightest sun glare and densest shade. The plantation clearings and miles of cotton fields smiled up to a warm sun, placid, complacent. At their edges rose the virgin forests, dark and cool even in the hottest noons, mysterious, a little sinister, the soughing pines seeming to wait with an age-old patience, to threaten with soft sighs: “Be careful! Be careful! We had you once. We can take you back again.”

這一片土地紅得耀眼，雨後更紅得像鮮血一般，乾旱時便成了滿地的紅磚粉，這是世界上最好的產棉地。這裏有潔白的房屋，翻耕過的田地，緩緩流過的黃泥河水，但同時也是一個由陽光燦爛和陰翳深濃形成對比的地方。尚待種植的空地和綿延數英里的棉花田微笑着袒露在陽光之中。在這些田地的邊緣上有着一片處女林，即使在最炎熱的中午它們也是幽暗而清涼的，而且顯得有點神祕，有點不那麼和善，其中那些颼颼作響的松樹好像懷着老年人的耐心在等待着，好像輕輕的嘆息：“當心呀！你們原先是我們的。我們能夠把你們要回來。”

To the ears of the three on the porch came the sounds of hooves, the jingling of harness chains and the shrill careless laughter of negro voices, as the field hands and mules came in from the fields. From within the house floated the soft voice of Scarlett’s mother, Ellen O’Hara, as she called to the little black girl who carried her basket of keys. The high-pitched, childish voice answered “Yas’m,” and there were sounds of footsteps going out the back way toward the smokehouse where Ellen would ration out the food to the home-coming hands. There was the click of china and the rattle of silver as Pork, the valet-butler of Tara, laid the table for supper.

坐在走廊裏的三個年輕人聽到得得的馬蹄聲，馬具鏈環的丁當聲和黑奴們的歡笑聲；那些幹農活的人和騾馬從地裏回來了。這時從屋子裏傳來思嘉的母親愛倫·奧哈拉溫和的聲音，她在呼喚提着鑰匙、籃子的黑女孩，後者用尖脆的聲調答道：“太太，來啦，”於是便傳來從後面過道里走向薰臘室的腳步聲，愛倫要到那裏去給回家的田間勞動者分配食物。接着便聽到瓷器噹噹和銀餐具丁丁的響聲，這時管衣着和膳事的男僕波克已經在擺桌子開晚飯了。

gely adv. 野蠻地, 殘酷地

The tiger pounced savagely on the goat.
老虎兇猛地撲向山羊。

gish adj. 懶惰的, 遲鈍的, 無精打采的

Market is weak sluggish.
市場疲軟。

e n. 閃耀光, 刺眼 v. 發眩光, 瞪視

The sun glared on the sea.
太陽在海上發出令人目眩的光芒。

id ['plæsid] adj. 安靜的, 平和的

The child had a placid disposition.
這個孩子性情溫和。

lacent adj. 滿足的, 自滿的, 得意的

We must not be complacent about our achievements.
我們決不能滿足於自己的成績。

ster adj. 不吉利的, 兇惡的, 左邊的

He showed his sinister motive at last.
他終於露出了他那邪惡的用心。

-pitched adj. 尖聲的, 高聲的

A high-pitched debate.
激烈的辯論

their edges rose the virgin forests, dark and cool even in the hottest noons, mysterious, a little sinister, the soughing pines seeming to wait with an age-old patience, to threaten with soft sighs: “Be careful! Be careful! We had you once. We can take you back again.”

【難句解析】這句的主幹是At their edges rose the virgin forests；後面的dark and cool... back again作狀語；

【句子翻譯】這些田地的邊緣上有着一片處女林，即使在最炎熱的中午它們也是幽暗而清涼的，而且顯得有點神祕，有點不那麼和善，其中那些颼颼作響的松樹好像懷着老年人的耐心在等待着，好像輕輕的嘆息：“當心呀！你們原先是我們的。我們能夠把你們要回來。”

the ears of the three on the porch came the sounds of hooves, the jingling of harness chains and the shrill careless laughter of negro voices, as the field hands and mules came in from the fields.

【難句解析】這句是倒裝，正常的語序是the sounds of hooves，the jingling es... came to the ears of the three on the porch；as引導的是狀語從句；

【句子翻譯】坐在走廊裏的三個年輕人聽到得得的馬蹄聲，馬具鏈環的丁當聲和黑奴們的歡笑聲；那些幹農活的人和騾馬從地裏回來了。